Special Teams Coordinator Tom Quinn
October 13, 2016
Q: Is watching game film of Devin Hester scary?
A: It’s always scary. He’s the career return leader and very dangerous. To try and keep him without any touches on the ball - it’s hard to do. You have to do a great job in coverage and protection, give the punter a chance to try to get down there and cover him up.
Q: I think they lead the league in kick return yardage, but their punt return yardage is down. What have teams done to them? I think he has fair caught most of them.
A: Well you try to kick it out of bounds, you try and fair catch it. If you have the opportunity to do that, to limit his touches.
Q: So that’s something most teams have been successful doing? Keeping it away from him?
A: Yes, you try and kick it high enough where he has to fair catch it or kick it out of bounds. Both of those things are tough to do. You got to do what you try and do best and hope for the best.
Q: Don’t they also have something strange like since a certain time they lead the league in blocks or something like that too?
A: Blocked field goals, yes. They’ve done an excellent job with that. They’re really talented and put a lot of pressure on your snapper in the ‘A’ and ‘B’ gaps so you have to do a really good job with your operation and anchoring the middle of the protection.
Q: Do they come up the middle on that?
A: Yes, they come off the edge, up the middle. Last year I think they had 5 weeks in a row where they blocked a PAT or field goal so they’re very dynamic with that.
Q. The last kickoff of the game went to the goal line. Is that the strategy?
A. We wanted it higher. We wanted to try and put them inside the 20 and give them a longer field and try and establish some field position so we had to kick it higher and longer. I need to instruct him better on that.
Q. Dwayne, obviously he had a sprained toe starting the week. If something pops up again who fills in?
A. Well, during the game we had Bobby Rainey. He did a pretty good job. You got Odell (Beckham), Bobby Rainey is a punt returner, you have Sterling Shepard. So we do have some depth there if we need to go that way.
Q. Because he looks like he’s getting closer on the kickoff returns.
A. Yes, you know, one or two blocks. We just have to do a better job finishing blocks after making initial contact.
Q. Is there any added benefit with the fact that their head coach was a special teams coordinator? Does that impact it at all? Do you have that in the back of your mind?
A. Well, obviously you know that he is. We competed against him when he was with Philly. He did an excellent job with that and an excellent job as a head coach and Jerry Rosburg has really picked up and done a great job since he’s been there. Obviously, he knows the importance of special teams so their well equipped with very good specialists, very good returners, and good core cover guys.
Q. Is Odell as a punt returner, I mean is that something you have to use sparingly?
A. If we need. You know we have Bobby (Rainey), we have Sterling (Shepard), we have Odell (Beckham). Kind of whoever we need to go with we can go with.
Q. How good could he be if he did that as a full-time (Odell Beckham)?
A. He did it a couple years ago when he was a rookie. He did a good job. He had a couple 20 yarders. He would do good. He has good catch mechanics and he can get started quickly, so he would be alright.
Q. Do almost have to draw a different scheme that you would only use if he was out there?
A. You do what you want to do and what you want to attack against them, so you can do what you can do.
